I Samuel 7:13
“So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”
Israel and the Philistines were types in the analogy of the Old Testament (I Corinthians 10:11). The believers are like Israel and the opposition is the Philistines. The Lord wants to subdue our enemies.
We all have things we wrestle with: depression, addiction, haunting thoughts, bullies, illnesses and so on. The good news of the gospel is that God has the power and desire to help. Romans 6:10 says, “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Verse 12 says, “Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal bodies”. In other places, it speaks of not letting it plague our thoughts.
How does this work? We’ve been redeemed from the power of sin, but not it’s presence. So we still feel it’s gravity. We have to fill ourselves with God’s Word, pray for help and oppose it. In today’s passage, the Lord confused the enemy, but Israel had a part in their defeat. The Lord subdues our enemies.
Unfortunately, as long as we’re on this earth, we will have the struggle. The Philistines warred with Israel all throughout the Old Testament. It won’t be a war, but occasional skirmishes.
Some of our battles are defensive, like the struggle with attitudes and temptation. Other battles are offensive. This is where we are attempting to make positive inroads. Sometimes these have to do with attitudes and influence and other times it’s about sharing faith. We pray and ask. Seed is planted and God causes the increase.
Lord, thank You for subduing our enemies. Help us to improve with our part and to allow You to do Yours.